Current-motor.



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

`I IIILIP o. LANCASTER, on nooit ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,514, dated October15, 1901. Application filed November 12, 1900. Serial No. 361250. (Nomodel.)

T0 all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PHILIP O. LANCASTER, of the city of Rock Island,RockIsland county, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsun Currentdvlotors, of which the following is a full, clear,and eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

-This invention relates to current-motors; and it consists of the novelconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown,described, and claimed.

Figure l is a view showing my improved current-motor in operativeposition, Fig. 2 is a plan view.

In the construction of my improved currentmotor the piers 1 are arrangedin suitable relative positions, and a suitable base 2 is fixed in thebottom of the stream between the said piers. The piers 1 are preferablyextended above the surface of the water a sufficient distance to supporta building, the floor of which is indicated by 3. A stationary shaft 1has its lower end embedded within the base 2, and its upper end projectsthrough the iioor 3 into the building. A tubular shaft 5 is mountedaround the shaft 4, and a support 6 on the door 3 retains the said shaft5 in a slightly-elevated position to keep its lower end out of contactwith the base 2. Ballbearings 7 are provided around the upper end of theshaft 5 in order to diminish the friction resulting from its beingsupported by the support 6, and a similar bearing 8 is provided withinthe upper end of the shaft 5 and against the shaft et to diminish thefriction resulting from the rotation of the shaft 5 on the shaft 4.. Bythis system of opposite ball-bearings within and without the shaft 5 aminimum amount of friction is encountered in the rotation of the shaft5. Rigid with the lower end of the shaft 5 is a spool or sleeve 9,provided on its upper and lower ends with flanges 10, having openingsformed therein to receive the inner ends of the frames comprising a partof my invention. Each of the said frames consists of the upperhorizontal portion 11 and the lower horizontal portion 12, the innerends of which are projected into the openings mentioned and the outerends of which are connected by integral vertical member 13. These framesare arranged radially nately opened and closed in a manner as willhereinafter appear'. The lower sides of the wings 14 bear against themembers 12 of the frames, so that Whenever pressure is applied to thewings to force them against the frames they Will be carried around,rotating the shaft 5 on the shaft 4. The inner lower sides of the wings14 are out away, as indicated by 15, so that they may be changed fromone side to the other of the frames whenever it is desired to reversethe movement of the mechanism driven thereby. The tie-rods 16,connecting the lower outer corners of the frames to the upper end of thespool 9, serve to hold the frames in the required position and tostrengthen the parts comprising the rotary Wheel.

17 indicates a ring provided on its periphery with gear-teeth, the saidring inclosing the frames and being secured to the vertical portions 13.Projecting from one of the piers 1 is a bearing 18, fixed in which isthe lower end of a vertical shaft 19, the upper end of the said shaftprojecting through the bottom 3 of the building supported by thepiers 1. A cylindrical shaft 20is mounted around the shaft v 19 andcarries on its lower end a pinion 21, in mesh with the teeth of the ring17. A suitable support 22 is provided above the door 3, andball-bearings 23 are made use of to diminish the frictional resistanceencountered by the rotation of the said shaft 20. The upper end of theshaft 2O is provided with suit= able means for transmitting the power tothe mechanism to be driven, and by locating a dynamo adjacent theretothe power may be transmitted almost any distance. The said shaft 20 maybe upheld by resting its lower end upon the bearing 18 or the gear orother connection at its upper end upon the bearingblocks, or any otherknown means may be made use of.

In using my improved current-motor the water-wheel is submerged asufficient distance to be out of the path of floating objects or belowthe draft of ships or boats. The water in moving by the motor encountersthe wings 14., bearing those on one side against the frame in a verticalposition and raising those on the opposite side into a horizontalposition to permit the passage of the water. The movement of the currentagainst the vertical wing carries the wheel around, those wings movingagainst the current always being raised into a horizontal position andthose moving with the current being in a vertical position and carryingthe wheel around in its rotation. The ring 17 moving with the water-Wheel and meshing with the pinion 21 rotates the shaft 20, whereby thepower is transmitted to any mechanism by any known means. One or morewater-wheels may be connected to the shaft 5, the means used in theirconnection being substantially that shown and described. Whenever anyparts of the Water- Wheel become injured or repairs are required for anyother cause, the shaft 5 can be raised on the shaft 4 to elevate thewater-Wheel above `the surface of the Water, in which position therequired repairs may be made. The water-Wheel, being always submergedbeneath the surface of the Water, is not greatly affected bythe rise orfall of the water, and the power transmitted by low Water will besubstantially as great as that received from the high Water. In theserespects my improved current-motor possesses superior advantages overthose of ordinary construction, and especially those which are ope-ratedin a vertical position.

I claim- A current-motor, consisting of a fixed shaft, a rotary shaftaround it, a sleeve on the lower end of said rotary shaft, a series offrames projecting radially from said sleeve, valves or wings 14 hingedto said frames and having their inner lower corners cut away so thatthey can be turned to either side of the frames, a diagonal rod 16 ineach frame to strengthen the frame and to brace the valve or wing 11icarried thereby, and an outer rim or ring surrounding the frames toassist in holding them in position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP O. LANCASTER. Vit-n esses:

HAROLD A. WELD, F. J. STEELE.

